


Rolling in the Deep

by phoenixjustice



Series: Unmei [9]
Category: Professional Wrestling, Ring of Honor, World Wrestling Entertainment, 新日本プロレス | New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Genre: A.J. Styles/?, F/M, Kayfabe Compliant, M/M, Magical Realism, Mickie James/?, Shinsuke is super done with Kevin's shit, Soulmates, one sided Dean Ambrose/Bray Wyatt, soulmate stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-25 08:04:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9810608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixjustice/pseuds/phoenixjustice
Summary: Shinsuke Nakamura/Kevin Owens, mentions of Shinsuke Nakamura/Sami Zayn, hints of Shinsuke Nakamura/Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens, mentions of Noam Dar/Alicia Fox, The Miz/Maryse, Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns/Bray Wyatt, Mickie James/?, Baron Corbin/Neville, one sided Dean Ambrose/Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles/?, Kazuchika Okada/Hiroshi Tanahashi, etc.Set Post-2/15/2017 NXT, some spoilers/mentions for ROH War of the Worlds 2014, ROH Final Battle 2010 and such.He feels seventeen again, sitting at that Frozen Lake. He feels like twenty, with his heart beating at a kiss he will remember for the rest of his life. He feels like twenty one when he feels a sense of completeness when the two most important people in his life meet one another for the first time.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mithen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mithen/gifts).



> Dedicated to Mithen whose comment came at the _perfect_ time!

 

Rolling in the Deep

By: PhoenixJustice

Disclaimer: The wrestlers own themselves, the gimmicks are owned by WWE/NXT. I only own this story and make no profit from this.

Warning: Rated M for sexual content, slash, language, etc.

Pairings: Shinsuke Nakamura/Kevin Owens, mentions of Shinsuke Nakamura/Sami Zayn, hints of Shinsuke Nakamura/Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens, mentions of Noam Dar/Alicia Fox, The Miz/Maryse, Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns/Bray Wyatt, Mickie James/?, Baron Corbin/Neville, one sided Dean Ambrose/Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles/?, Kazuchika Okada/Hiroshi Tanahashi, etc.

Setting: Post-2/15/2017 NXT, some spoilers/mentions for ROH War of the Worlds 2014, ROH Final Battle 2010 and such.

Summary: He feels seventeen again, sitting at that Frozen Lake. He feels like twenty, with his heart beating at a kiss he will remember for the rest of his life. He feels like twenty one when he feels a sense of completeness when the two most important people in his life meet one another for the first time.

_Italics for thoughts_

Part Nine of _Unmei_.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

He doesn't really think about it, when other people are walking in the same direction as he and Shinsuke; it was a hallway free to everyone, after all. It's only as they _keep_ following in the same direction that he realizes something is up. Bray had asked him earlier in the day to meet him and Shinsuke both, that he 'had a Tale to spin' (in his words, as Bray was wont to do.)

He just hadn't expected _this_. As he and Shinsuke file into the room, with others following suit, he realized that these were all-they _had_ to be-Soulmate pairs. He sees Reigns come in soon after, making an immediate beeline to Bray, who affords him a soft and genuine smile that Sami has rarely seen on his face. It makes him happy to see it, that Bray too could find some measure of happiness after Dean didn't accept it, accept _him._

Speaking of Dean, he files in (slouches, really) after Rollins (who looks surprisingly calm and _interested_ even, which surprises him as he had kind of expected Rollins to look at Bray with the kind of anger that Dean sometimes still did. Not often anymore, but still sometimes, when Dean either thinks no one is looking or doesn't care. Sometimes the anger doesn't even seem directed at Bray, but at _himself._ Maybe he feels bad in just _how_ he turned away Bray? Who knew.)

He stiffens in surprise when he sees Neville file in, sulkily but filing in nevertheless. They hadn't talked to each other in quite awhile, not since before Neville had changed. He seemed harder in ways, darker, more angry certainly. And yet...if he was here, then it must have meant he had found some measure of happiness, right? As if on cue, he sees Neville pause in the middle of sitting, looking immediately at the door.

Seconds later it opens and his eyes widen to see Baron Corbin stand there, before he makes an immediate beeline for Neville, confident in his stride, confident as he goes right up to him and kisses him. Neville immediately relaxes into the contact and as they pull away from one another, he sees a contentment in Neville that he hadn't seen in...god, he couldn't even remember.

Others fall in as well: Miz and Maryse (no real surprise there; they definitely suited one another), Noam Dar and...Alicia Fox? Huh. Well that explained Dar's dogged determination to be with Alicia Fox, he guessed. Mickie James arrives on her own, looking a little ill at ease. It was obvious by her demeanor (her arms wrapped almost protectively around herself, glaring at everyone as if _daring_ them to make comment about her) that her soulmate or soulmates weren't here.

It was a fascinating sight, really, to see so many people with the people that were tied to each other in ways that no one but them could really fathom. And even _they_ , outside of more knowledgeable people on the subject, like Shinsuke and Bray, couldn't completely understand just what it all meant. He knew he was staring, but he didn't get rebuked by anyone, surprisingly enough. Perhaps they too were taking it all in, in others that were not themselves, to see what other Soulmate pairs were like.

"Is this it?" Rollins asks Bray. Again, it wasn't a condescending or angry tone; merely a curious one. He seemed pretty eager to learn, despite _whom_ he was learning from. "Is this...all of us?" No one, Sami included, didn't miss his look over at Mickie James who was sitting in a corner by herself, looking no one in the eye.

"No," Bray says calmly, as he often did, the WWE Championship sitting next to him on a small table. It was obvious from the way he had it on there, that he had set it up with pride. As he should. He had busted his ass to get to where he was and Sami was _more_ than proud of his friend. "There are others. But some are too far away to hear the Calling I sent out."

"And others?"

Bray pauses. "Others..." For some reason his eyes turn to Sami, looking at him with furrowed brows. "Others-"

"Others do as they often do." Shinsuke says, with a surprising amount of bitterness in his tone. He couldn't recall the last time he had heard him talk that way. ...actually, he thought he could. When the last time Kevin was brought up.

Bray tilts his head to Shinsuke. "They can. They do. But not always. They-"

"Hurry it up already." Neville snaps. "Some of us don't have all bloody day."

"Yeah." A voice says. "Some of us have actual _lives_ to get on with. Not the _rest_ of you, because you guys are losers, but _I_ at least-"

He freezes.

Kevin.

_Kevin was here._

He swallows hard, hearing his heartbeat thump hard in his chest.

_Why was Kevin here?_

His _tone_ sounded as mocking as it ever did, but that still didn't hide the curiousness in it. Not to Sami, anyhow; even after all this time, despite everything, he still knew Kevin in ways that he could scarcely comprehend. Could only ache and hate the _hope_ that had once run through him. That they could be _more._ That Kevin couldn't push him away anymore. That they would be something that was...that was...

He flinches at those long buried thoughts. The thoughts he had never allowed himself to nurse, ever since Kevin had shattered all those hopes with one fateful chair shot. He had a Soulmate now and he would not give Shinsuke up for _anything_ but...but the pain and the longing still remained, even now. Despite how much Kevin had broken Sami's spirit time and again.

He starts to look over at Kevin, despite himself when he feels an urgent hand squeezing his.

"Don't." Shinsuke whispers quickly. "Don't look at him, Sami."

"But-" He licks his lips, swallowing again. "I know. But it's-"

" _I_ know." Shinsuke says. "But Sami, you cannot look at Kevin now."

Had Shinsuke ever called Kevin by name before? He could not ever recall him doing so. And yet, it sounded... _right._ Why had he never called him by his name before? He had thought it possibly out of anger or doing so merely for Sami, but it didn't feel like that now.

It felt like Shinsuke had been _waiting_ for the right time to say it.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

He sees Kevin stiffen when he calls him by name, as much as he does when Kevin spots Sami-spots them _both_ , sitting, waiting for Bray Wyatt to begin his story. He holds back a smirk with difficulty, torn between anger and many other feelings he had gotten very familiar with, over the years-especially so when it came to Kevin.

He squeezes Sami's hand again; his poor, confused, Sami, whose heart always lay on his sleeve, especially so when it came to Kevin Owens. How Kevin hurt him and how he loved him, even still. He understood. He understood more than Sami yet knew. How he hadn't been able to tell him. Not until...not until the final puzzle piece clicked into place.

He looks over at the puzzle piece, eyes never leaving his face as he kisses the side of Sami's head tenderly. He takes more than a little pleasure at the wince on Kevin's face watching it. Watches as Kevin hurries back out, slamming the door hard behind him.

"Listen to Bray's Tale," Shinsuke says, kissing Sami's head again. "I'll be right back."

"What are you-" Sami stops, seemingly unable to continue whatever thought he was having.

He turns Sami so he can look at him, leaning down to kiss him quickly but meaningfully. He strokes his face.

"To fix something important."

Sami stares at him, his throat bobbing with an emotion he had an obvious hard time surpressing. He always had a hard time surpressing his emotions when it came to Kevin Owens.

He smiles. "I already know this Tale, so don't worry about my missing it."

He stands, glancing over at Bray who nods in understanding, nodding back. Sometimes it helped to have someone as traveled as he, when it came to Soulmates. Shinsuke would never tire of Sami's questions, but sometimes it was good to hear things from others' perspectives.

Opportunity...both he and Bray knew this was an opportunity that Shinsuke had been waiting for, for a very long time.

One even longer than the time he had waited for Sami.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

After a quick bow, excusing himself, he heads out, As he does so, he catches a few words from the room behind him, as Bray begins to speak.

"Sit and listen to my Tale."

"What is it a tale of?"

"Something I've only ever seen the once; three people, all entwined together. Three souls bound and bound and bound..."

But something Shinsuke has experience about knowing twice. Or...very nearly, anyhow.

Some people were much more stubborn than others.

It had been that way from the very beginning with him.

**:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

He can remember with complete clarity the day he learns he is to face Kevin Owens, going by Kevin Steen then, at Ring of Honor's War of the Worlds. He can barely bow, so bundled with nerves, as he leaves the Head Office of New Japan, hurrying to the locker rooms. Respect in New Japan was hard to earn, but forever kept. And Shinsuke had worked hard to earn respect. So it was without saying that he was allowed things like his own locker room, should he want it.

He often didn't partake in it, preferring the comraderie of the main locker room and its inhabitants, but there were occasions where his thoughts or other factors might be too much and he needed a way to work through them. Like when, weeks ago, Sami Zayn (who once went by the name El Generico in wrestling, instead of his own name, and only had fairly recently, after going to NXT) had a bad fall and the phantom pain had shocked Shinsuke to a point he could barely speak, leaving him to lay in his locker room alone, trying to work through the emotions going through him then, more so than the slight pain. Pain he was used to; you earned respect through pain, especially so in Japan.

But all of the _emotions?_ _That_ had been more difficult than he expected to-because he had to really get used to _two_ sets of emotions sometimes that were not his own. It had been hard to sift through. With _one_ of them, well, he had gotten used to the see-sawing of being emotional and bottling it all up. With Sami, he had known about him for ages, but it had taken awhile to feel him on a consistent basis (by this point, he had only known of one other set of three who were all Paired.)

With Kevin, well...he had a whole _lifetime_ of him and his mercurial moods, his anger, his happiness, his pain and sadness, his _memories_ even. He had a whole lifetime of _knowing_ Kevin Owens and a lifetime of _learning_ Sami Zayn.

He lets out a long breath. He didn't even need to prod to see what Kevin was feeling right now; it was rather overwhelming, really. He can feel his excitement, mixed with nervousness. Kevin was a bundle of nerves and that-strangely-is what helps Shinsuke calm down.

He sits on the floor, leaning against one of the open lockers and smiles, closing his eyes as he starts to hear Kevin's thoughts.

_Agh, shut the_ _**fuck up** _ _, Kevin Kelly! Can't you shut your stupid commentary for five stupid minutes so I can_ _**think** _ _properly. I wasted that title opportunity against Cole; I won't waste this. It's too important._

_...why._

_Why is it important?_

_It feels_ _**important** _ _._

_I mean, it's not like I ever give into the hype people have. I've seen a million wrestlers come and go-from New Japan, even-so why does_ _**this** _ _mean so much? Why does S-why does_ _**he** _ _feel more important?_

_Why..._

"You're important too, Kevin." Shinsuke murmurs. "As you've always been."

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

He is both too excited and nervous to sleep on the plane ride over, too keyed up to get any real rest. Others too seem excited, but only Tanahashi understands why _Shinsuke_ is so excited. One of the few who knew about Soulmates, of the Fate, the _Unmei_ , that tied some together. Tanahashi was, after all, tied himself to Kazuchika, though Kazuchika kept denying him.

He glances over at AJ Styles. He too was Paired, though it was obvious that he had just as much idea of who he was Paired with as Shinsuke did, which was none. It wasn't his business, of course, but he always found himself fascinated to see Soulmate Pairs. His own parents, after all, had been Paired and had taught him almost all of what he knew of Soulmates and what that meant.

It should have been any other day, any other event; exciting, true, as wrestling always was, but still...it shouldn't have been _this._ Filling him with this emotion that he can scarcely contain. He feels seventeen again, sitting at that Frozen Lake. He feels like twenty, with his heart beating at a kiss he will remember for the rest of his life. He feels like twenty one when he feels a sense of completeness when the two most important people in his life meet one another for the first time.

He is like a child again, looking around at everything with such curiousness. Well, perhaps it was more fair to say, he is _searching._ He cannot help himself. He had waited so very long, after all. He had been as patient as anyone could be about it.

So of course it's when he _doesn't expect it,_ is when Kevin makes his presence known.

"Hey! Nakamura!"

He stills. He had been so keen on looking for him, so used to, perhaps, Kevin's emotions and presence that it left him unable to sense his nearness.

He turns and smiles, watching Kevin suck in a breath at it.

"Yes?" He replies pleasantly, as if he hadn't waited his _entire life_ for one of these moments.

"You won't sound so confident when I..." Kevin swallows. For all the bluster he projected, Shinsuke knew of the many insecurities that lay within him. "...beat you senseless."

His smile dissolves into a smirk. He walks- _stalks_ -up to Kevin, watching Kevin's hands turn into fist to keep himself in place and stands in front of him. Not much distance stood between them now, but there were still many things left unsaid that he knew he couldn't say. Not now.

So instead of cradling that face and kissing him like he longed to do, he instead moves his mouth to Kevin's ear, feeling him stiffen at his approach.

"Mm. I should like to see you try to _beat_ me." He purrs. "It should be my pleasure to do so to you as well."

He pulls back to see Kevin's face full of red.

"You-fuck off!" Kevin yells, pushing at him, walking quickly away.

His eyes follow him bemusedly; he hadn't expected Kevin to still be so _cute._

**:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

It's not something he actively thinks about during their match; it just _happens._

He has Kevin locked into a headlock. They've both been wrestling each other many minutes now, the fans are now chanting _Ole_ (which made it feel like Sami was there, in a way) and he's having _the time of his life._ What was it about Soulmates wrestling each other that made a match so much _better?_ (It would be a thought he'd have two years later when he wrestles Sami.)

And he finds himself blurting out:

"Does the Lake still freeze over?"

Instantly Kevin pushes him away, hitting him hard with a brainbuster, and when his eyes turn to look at Shinsuke, they are full of anger. He welcomes the anger, the passion, as he always did.

And by the end of it, when Shinsuke is victorious, all he can really feel is _proud._ Proud of _Kevin._ Kevin, who had kicked out so quickly-at _one_ -to his Bomaye. It had taken two of those-and so many other things-to keep him down for a three count.

He gets back to the locker rooms and is surprised to see them empty. There were still matches to do on the card (perhaps the others were preparing in their own way, or in other locker rooms.)

He doesn't get long to ponder this as the door gets thrown open and he knows who it is-can _feel_ that torrent of emotion-before he even sees him.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Kevin hisses.

He turns to look at him, sees Kevin's shoulders shaking with the sheer amount of emotion he was feeling. He knew he would have to play this carefully, as he knew Kevin's temperaments very well, so he merely raises a brow at him, ignoring the sweat that dripped down his own brow the way it did Kevin's, from the exertion of the match they both had just endured.

"I do not know what you mean." He says pleasantly. "It was a very good match, but it-"

"Fuck _that_." Kevin stalks forward. "You _know_ what I'm talking about!"

He lets out a chuckle. "Why would you let something so _insignificant_ get to you-"

It gets to Kevin, as he knows it will. He lets Kevin push him back against some of the open lockers, looks at Kevin's angry, reddened face, and wants desperately to kiss him then.

"Fuck you!" Kevin's face twists with anger and something like _pleading._ "It wasn't _nothing!_ It was...it was..."

"It was," Shinsuke continues Kevin's sentence, calmly. "A cold day. You could see your breath. The Lake was completely frozen over; so much so that you could walk across it without fear of falling in. But even then, you never feared, did you? You-"

"Shut up." Kevin whispers, his hand still grasping hard onto Shinsuke's shoulder.

"And then, three years later, when we-"

" _I said shut up!"_ Kevin screams.

And he makes him, kissing Shinsuke hard. Instantly he is filled with a sense of completeness as much as he does longing, understanding completely the twisted emotions in him (his happiness, the longing for contact with one of the people he loves so very desperately, as much as the confusion of one whom has so many wants and desires but doesn't know how to channel them, so he uses his anger to deal with what he can't understand. And one whom is miles and miles away from them both, who is confused all of a sudden, unsure why he suddenly feels such longing.)

He grabs Kevin's head to pull him closer, kissing him harder, deeper, relishing the long, helpless, groan Kevin gives. It had been long, so very, very long, since he had been able to touch one of his Soulmates. Shinsuke has been very good about giving Kevin space, at letting him try and figure things out on his own-sometimes to Shinsuke's utter shame (as the events of Final Battle 2010 between Kevin and Sami should _never_ have happened) but it has been _so_ long and even Shinsuke can only be so patient.

He kisses him as if he is the air he breathes and needs. He tilts his head to deepen the kiss, moving his tongue inside of Kevin's hot mouth, sucking in his groans, turning to push Kevin into the lockers, reversing their positions. Finally he pulls back, eyes gleaming with satisfaction at the look on Kevin's face, sees the trail of saliva they both left from their vigorous kissing, licking it off Kevin's lips, eyes closing with pleasure at the sound Kevin makes at that.

He leans in, near Kevin's ear once more, a deliberate echo from earlier in the day.

"Hmm. I think we made a mistake here." He says.

He feels, more than sees, Kevin stiffen at that.

He licks down the rim of his ear, savoring the moan that follows it.

"I believe you promised me a _beating,"_ He purrs. "Yet I don't believe that I have had that _satisfaction_ yet."

He moves back enough so he can sees Kevin's face. The other man doesn't look at him, face infused with red. _Cute._ But he didn't seem inclined to move yet, so Shinsuke takes matters in his own hand and starts to pull at Kevin's shirt, which makes Kevin react near violently-as Shinsuke expects.

"Don't-" Kevin swallows. "What are you doing?"

"What do you _think_ I am doing?" He asks calmly.

Kevin still does not look at him. He keeps his hands on Kevin's shirt, despite the other wrestler's hands trying to pull his away.

"You don't have to-" He has to clench his jaw at the look on Kevin's face. The hate Kevin had about his own body never failed to hurt him. He longed to tell him the truth; that he was beautiful, that he had two people who never saw him as anything less than wonderful. That no matter what, he would always be wanted and desired. That he loved him.

But he couldn't say those words now.

"I cannot get to you if you don't let me." He says lightly, instead. He affects a careless shrug that he did not feel. "If you'd rather just jerk me off, then that would also be fine by me."

_That_ gets to Kevin, making him flush once more.

"Fine." Kevin mutters.

Good enough for now. He pulls Kevin's shirt away, seeing the sweat on his gear from their match and once again feels that sense of _pride_. They had brought out the best in one another. He starts to pull down the straps, a bit stickily from the sweat and has to fight not to kiss that bare shoulder, that chest, watching the suit's continued climb down, until Kevin is bare enough to him. He pushes up against him, hearing him gasp, deliberately waiting until he was closer, to start opening his own pants.

It feels like some sort of hot fever dream, being pressed up against his nearly naked body; can only wonder what it would feel like _completely_ naked, what it would feel like to feel Sami, to feel them _both_ , to-

He pulls out his cock as he grabs onto Kevin's, barely hearing Kevin's hiss of pleasure from the rush of want in his own ears. The sweat acted like a useful lubricant; he can stroke both of them with ease.

"Hurry," Kevin pants. "Hurry up."

He chuckles. "Impatient, are you?" The fact that he too was, very much so, would be left unsaid.

"Shut up." Kevin says. He glances at him, to see Kevin all but _pouting_ and he can't help but burst out with laughter, even in this situation. Kevin glares at him. " _What?"_

"You." He says, fondly. "You are as impatient as you have ever been."

He doesn't mean to say that, watches the reaction it has in Kevin, making him draw back more into himself once more.

"Get on with it." Kevin says gruffly.

Despite Kevin's words, he still knows Kevin's heart, feels Kevin's hands on his shoulders, can hear his panting against his ear as Shinsuke strokes them both to completion. Kevin cries out, hands digging into his shoulders and Shinsuke follows suit moments later, groaning his pleasure as it spurts between them, all over his hands, all over them. They stand there like that for far too short a time, before Kevin pushes him away hard, scrambling to pull up his gear, to grab his forgotten shirt off the floor, hurrying to put it back on.

He grabs at Kevin as he tries to hurry past him, startled to see tears in his eyes.

"K-"

"Don't!" Kevin's face twists and he feels a spike of pain in him at seeing a tear fall down his face. " _Don't!"_

The door slams behind Kevin with a feeling of finality that Shinsuke cannot take.

**:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::** ::::::::::::::::::::::::::

He pulls back from his thoughts, continuing to follow Kevin. He knew Kevin would want somewhere private to stew-they were alike in that regard; yet another thing they shared. Until he got to NXT, he hadn't seen Kevin in person again after that night, when Kevin had fled from him.

He knew the significance in names, when it came to Soulmates. It meant _connection._ It meant _acceptance._ So Kevin had denied Shinsuke, when he didn't allow him to say his name. Sami had accepted Shinsuke immediately, but Kevin, even now, still denied them both. He called Sami by name, but he didn't _Call_ him-he was too afraid, Kevin. He always had been afraid of emotions, of feeling so deeply. He tried to pretend he didn't feel anything, when all he _did_ was feel; no one felt more deeply than Kevin Owens.

He knew Kevin didn't know how to deal with those emotions, so he took it out on people; on Sami, on Shinsuke, on random strangers, all just so he wouldn't have to admit that he had people who _loved_ him, because he was afraid that they would leave him. So he did, as he did with Sami with that chair shot, as he did with Shinsuke in that locker room, left first, so it would be _him_ leaving. That he couldn't be hurt if it was _him_ who did it to _them_ (though it didn't actually work that way and Kevin even knew that-but it didn't stop him from trying that, even now.)

He follows him right into the empty locker room (by this time, the only ones left in the place were most likely him, Kevin, and those whom were getting told a Tale by Bray Wyatt.)

Kevin glares at him. "Get the hell out."

He ignores the demand, walking past him to grab a couple of the folding chairs that had been leaned against a locker room. He opens them and sets them down, taking a seat in one of them, before glancing up at Kevin who stares at him. He gestures at the other chair across from him.

"Sit, Kevin."

Kevin winces again at Shinsuke using his name.

"You don't get to tell me what to do." Kevin mutters...but he moves to sit anyway (though he pointedly does not look at Shinsuke.)

"No?" Shinsuke says. "Perhaps I should try; so we wouldn't have ended up in this place."

"What _place?"_ Kevin mutters. "The cream of the crop? At the top of the top wrestling company?"

"You know what I mean, Kevin."

Kevin grimaces.

It's quiet for a time.

"I almost told Sami about that winter."

Kevin stills, glancing quickly at him then away again.

"What?" Kevin asks, finally.

"And that summer three years later. I nearly told him."

"You mean you didn't..." Kevin sounds so baffingly confused that it makes him want to smooth away that confusion with kisses. He looks at Shinsuke, finally. "Why?"

"Why didn't I?"

Kevin nods, as if unable to help himself.

Shinsuke shrugs. "They were some of the most important times of my life, like the day in Dallas when I wrestled Sami, but they are not wholly my Tale to tell. They are also yours." He smiles at Kevin. "I can still remember the cold of that winter. You laughed at me."

Kevin shrugs and Shinsuke's startled to see a slight smile on Kevin's face as he too remembers.

"You had a coat." Kevin pointed out. "That I _gave you."_

"I'm Japanese," Shinsuke says primly. "We are not used to such cold weather like you Canadians."

Kevin snorts. "I _liked_ that coat. I never saw it again."

Shinsuke shrugs now. "I meant to send it to you, then I...forgot."

"You forgot." Kevin says, raising a brow.

Now it's Shinsuke's turn to feel flustered, feeling a flush on his face. He still _had_ that coat; it had been lovingly maintained and kept and was current sitting in his bedroom closet in Orlando. Sami had seen it many times now, but only his own want of wanting them all to talk about these things had kept Shinsuke from telling him the meaning behind it.

"I was going to give it to you during that Summer, but I was distracted."

Kevin flushes and Shinsuke smiles at it. That Summer had been the best summer of his life. As with the first time, three years prior, he had awoken to find himself at Kevin's home, in Kevin's bed, _with_ Kevin. And as with that Winter, when he had told him as much as he could about Soulmates and what he knew about it, that Summer they had been nearly inseparable and it had ended, finally, with a kiss. He could still remember Kevin's excitement then, when he told him that they weren't alone, that there was someone out there for them both still. That Kevin would know him as soon as he saw him.

And could also remember the void in Kevin's emotions, the emotions that Kevin had forced back so very far, when he destroys the tenuous bond that had been growing between him and Sami with one defining chair shot.

"Once Sami learns-"

At Sami's name, Kevin scrambles out of his chair.

"Once Sami _nothing_ ," Kevin says angrily, as if remembering where and when they were. "There is _nothing_ to talk about!"

Shinsuke stands now, feeling a rise of anger that he doesn't often feel. He grabs at Kevin's shirt, forcing him closer to him.

"No. There is _everything_ to talk about." He hisses. "And you know it! I will not let you keep running away! When all that I-that _we_ -want to do is to love you!"

Kevin flinches violently at that, as if Shinsuke had struck him.

"Stop." Kevin says.

"No." Shinsuke repeats. "Not now. Not again. Not _anymore._ I let it go on for far too long! You destroyed Sami, Kevin."

Kevin lets out a painful sound in his throat.

"You destroyed him when you should have loved him. When all he has ever done is love you."

Kevin's eyes wrench close. "He doesn't-" Kevin rasps.

"He _does._ You know that he does. Just like you know that I love you."

Kevin flinches again.

"Look at me. Please."

Kevin finally turns to look at him.

" _I love you._ "

"So please," Shinsuke continues, one hand moving to stroke Kevin's short hair. "Do not keep denying us. I loved you when we sat on a frozen lake, talking about which of us would become a wrestler first. I loved you when the heat was nearly unbearable, the sweat pouring down our faces. I loved you when I wrestled you and touched you after. I loved you then as I love you now and as I will love you every day of my life. As I love Sami every day, as Sami loves us _both_ every day."

"I will never deny you. Ever. I will take all of you, good and bad. I will never leave you. I will _always_ want to be with you."

"But how can you _know_ that?" Kevin chokes.

He forces Kevin to look at him and smiles. "Because you are _you_ , so how could I _not?"_

Kevin weeps.

He pulls him into his embrace, holding him close, feeling the wetness of tears on his shirt and not giving a care about that, only about the man who was shedding them. He strokes Kevin's back, letting him work out the emotions in him in one of the other ways that was much healthier for Kevin to do but never allowed himself. Finally, he kisses the side of Kevin's head, reminiscent of how he had kissed Sami's head earlier.

"I love you." Kevin whispers brokenly. His hands are tight around Shinsuke and in that moment there is almost nowhere he would rather be.

He kisses him, feeling Kevin kiss back desperately, as desperate for contact as he always was. Kevin had always been weak to contact, which was rather nice actually, as Shinsuke and Sami both loved contact and loved giving it even more.

He pulls back, head against Kevin's shoulder.

"I love you too." He says, swallowing hard against the love he felt then, at words he almost never thought he would be able to say to Kevin. "More than anything."

Kevin seems to calm after that, so he starts to move. Kevin grabs his hand tightly, but the look on his face is not anger now, but of deep worry.

"But Shinsuke," Kevin pauses and Shinsuke feels a thrill shoot deeply into his body at that. He closes his eyes briefly at the words. Kevin had _accepted_ him. "Sami won't-"

He squeezes Kevin's hand. "You know what we should do, Kevin?"

Kevin shakes his head. "What?"

He smiles. "Let's tell our boy about a chance day in Winter-and the days that followed after."

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A/N: :O Welp. lol. This came out of left field for me. I was initially picturing another pairing-which we will see in the next part of _Unmei_ (it's the Tale that Bray is telling everyone during the stuff with Shinsuke and Kevin) when Kevin in my mental picture came walking in and so of course I'm thinking, well if Kevin's there then that means he has to have a Soulmate. And then it all kind of hits me at once why Kevin (in this verse) would do the things he did to Sami at Final Battle 2009 and after.

I hope you enjoyed this!

Let me know what you thought!

-PhoenixJustice


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